Well I'm going to switch and starting using Chemical Guys Leather Care Cleaner & Condition for my interior, however does anyone have any recommendations to get rid of the swirls and minor blemishes on the piano black finish of the interior?

It's so hard to keep the finger prints and dust off, but I would love to have that high gloss shine of the piano black finish.

Thanks in advance.

 

Pledge?

 

If there are swirls, you will need a very gentle polish. You might start by trying a readily available swirl remover like Meguiars ScratchX by hand; if that doesn't work a machine polisher might be needed. Why not ask a detailer such as Moe Mistry over in the detailing forum before you try anything?

My V12V was delivered with a cloth from the factory - nothing special, just one of those soft lens cleaning cloths, but great for dusting the finish and removing fingerprints. The key is not to scrape anything across the surface, and that would include seemingly 'soft' vacuum cleaner brushes (they trap abrasive dirt). So far so good - I have very few swirls.

 

Not your question I know, but I am skeptical of any leather product touted as a 'conditioner', 'cream' or 'lotion'. IMO any company that talks about 'replenishing nutrients' or 'feeding the fibres' is either spouting false marketing speak or is actually selling a product that may harm the leather over time by attracting more oil and dirt. But I can't claim any personal experience with the Chemical Guys product you mention, just to be clear.

Check out the below link:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...roblems-2.html

 

Gonna give this a gentle try and will report back. Thanks.

 

I own a retail furniture store that specializes in high-end leather furniture from the premier brands in the USA, I can tell you without hesitation that using the right leather cleaner and conditioner will absolutely prolong the lifespan of a hide. When I see leather failure from customers, its due to their lack of maintenance in keeping the hides clean.

Aston martin uses a semi-aniline hide in the cars, which is well suited to both sun-fade and spills. A pure aniline is a higher grade leather, and a finished leather (like you would find in an Acura or Buick) is a lesser hide. At the very least you should wipe down your leather on a regular basis with a damp cloth (not wet). That alone goes a long ways to removing oils and dirt. Its better if you use a dedicated cleaner and conditioner but if you object to that, then at least wipe it down.

I use Leather Magic brand products exclusively in my store, and on my Aston as well as my wife's Mercedes and all the cars that came before them.

 

Do you have a website link and specific recommended products? I'm always open to new products.

 

drcollie, you hit the nail on the head when you say that leather will fail due to lack of cleaning. So why add a non-water based product (most of the myriad of so called conditioners, including Leather Magic which contains oils) after cleaning? At the worst, it undoes the cleaning step, since anything but aniline leather is coated and relatively impermeable to non-water based solutions, so the vast majority of the goop will sit on top of the leather and attract more oil and dirt. At best, you will wipe away most of the expensive goop you have just applied. So if you keep your leather clean no harm done except the money thrown out the window!

The above is in no way meant to diminish your experience with leather, which no doubt is far greater than mine, given what you do for a living. Nor do I claim to be a leather chemist. But I have researched this topic enough that I am convinced any non-water based 'conditioner' is the wrong thing for the leather in our cars, and that the correct approach is a water-based product that hydrates the leather and provides a temporary sacrificial layer to resist stains and soiling, without needlessly attracting dirt.

 

Aston Martin actually only has semi-aniline leather as a $1595 option on the Vanquish and Rapide according to the order sheet I have. The standard leather is a pigmented one. I have just ordered a V8 Vantage and petitioned Gaydon to let me order the semi-aniline because I like the feel, look and smell of it. After a 1 month wait they finally answered and said I could have the semi-aniline but it only came in some of the Aston colors-not all of them. Unfortunately the color I chose,Winter Wheat, which is a newer color is not available in semi-aniline so I will be getting it in the standard pigmented leather. This web site explains the differences in the types of leather used:http://www.all-about-leather.co.uk/w...ther-types.htm

 

This is kind of like an oil thread...

You have to do whatever you think appropriate. Doing something is better than doing nothing. I will just relay to you that I have sold probably 8,000 pieces of leather furniture in the past 28 years and seen quite a bit of it after customers have had it for a number of years.

Those that do nothing but use it will see complete deterioration of their leather in about 8 to 10 years - including hide breakdown wear-through.

Those that use damp cloth only will get 20 years plus, but the leather will look tired and a bit worn at that time.

Those that follow a cleaning and conditioning regimen every 6 months with approved high quality product will have their furniture still looking sharp and appealing at that 20 year mark.

I have a vested interest in customers getting maximum use out of their purchases over time, if they are happy with what they bought they recommend my store to their friends and family. If they feel they were ripped off and their pieces didn't last - they'll tell everyone that as well. So with every sale I walk them through the benefits of using cleaner / conditioner on their pieces. I even give them a starter set free of charge. I don't make enough profit on the sale of bottles of cleaner and conditioner to make it something I need to push...I do it because I believe it works and have seen the results over time.

 

My 2007 Vantage has a semi-aniline, perhaps they changed the spec on the newer models. I can tell by the texture and it also says in the owner's manual to boot!

They don't use pure aniline hides in most cars because they are sensitive to sun fade and oily and acid based spills.

 

Doc, which Leather Magic products do you use? I visited their website and see there is a cleaner and various conditioners/protectors. Do you use the cleaner and then a conditioner/protector? And how often do you clean/treat your seats?

 

The basic ones are the Cleaner and Conditioner for topcoated leathers. I have them in my store as well @ $ 38.50 shipped via Priority Mail. PM me if you'd like to try them and I can give you an email for PayPal.

I do mine at least 2x a year. Steering wheels get a lot of oil and dirt on them from hands, so I'll do that one monthly from Spring to Fall.

 

Duane spill the beans on leather magic...we want our Aston interiors to outlast the car's driveable life itself if we can! In 20 + years v12s will be outlawed and we will be putting aound in 300 mpg EV hybrids that drive themselves!! And they will NOT have leather interiors either.

edit. you beat me to the punch...let me know next time you're working on your leather and I'll try to come on by and have a look and try it for myself...and get some pointers if that's okay

 

i would not go after the piano gloss finish with an abrasive polish. Rather, maybe try a glaze to fill the swirls and scratches and hide them. Finish with wax?